The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 175 MICHIGAN TOP 10 happy to be a Boilermaker during his com- mitment ceremony at his high school. 6. Mazi Smith, DT Kentwood East Kentwood Just about every big- time program is interested in Smith, but it's basically a Penn State-Michigan battle for his services. The Detroit Free Press Division 1 All-State first- teamer has been to Ohio State as well, but came away less than impressed by the Buckeyes. The 6-3, 302-pounder is stout and athletic, and also has solid length at defensive tackle. 7. Anthony Bradford, OT Muskegon High In terms of size and ability, Bradford is on an- other level at 6-5, 320-plus pounds. He's massive, ath- letic and very powerful. For being such a large young man, the four-star tackle is light on his feet and very quick. He's fast enough to handle speed rushers and defi- nitely big and strong enough to deal with oversized defensive ends. His efforts earned him Detroit Free Press Division 3 All-State first-team honors last fall. Michigan never offered the jumbo line- man, and he committed to LSU in early May. 8. Jaren Mangham, RB Detroit Cass Tech Mangham has been a popular prospect on the recruiting trail, but for some reason Michigan never pulled the trigger on him. He claims nearly 50 offers and seems to like quite a few schools, including Florida, Florida State, Michigan State, Oregon, TCU, Ten- nessee, Texas and Texas A&M. Considered the No. 15 running back and No. 215 overall prospect nationally, Mang- ham is a bruiser at 6-2, 217 pounds. If he continues to grow and gets too big for the running back position, he has some very solid film as a linebacker as well. 9. Spencer Brown, OT Walled Lake Western Brown camped at U-M last summer and left empty-handed in terms of an offer from the Wolverines. Several months later, he picked up a tender from U-M, but by then he was already committed to Michigan State. A Detroit Free Press Division 2 All-State first- team choice as a junior, Brown has MSU fans giddy he's part of the class. At 6-6, 295 pounds, he is a long and rangy tackle prospect, which helps him be effective against just about all types of pass rushers. 10. Lance Dixon, OLB West Bloomfield High The 6-2, 193-pound Dixon is arguably Mich- igan's top viper target, and he knows it. He gets a lot of attention from the U-M staff and has been to Ann Arbor several times in the past. The Detroit Free Press Di- vision 1 All-State first-team pick in 2017 is able to cover and tackle in space, and is extremely smooth for an outside linebacker because of his days as a member of the secondary. All of his skills have him ranked as the No. 23 outside linebacker in the country. Dixon's head coach is former Wolverine Ron Bellamy, which can't hurt U-M's chances but will not be the only factor in the decision. Dixon is considering Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State along with Michigan, while he pre- pares for his senior season. ❏ The U-M coaches have offered eight 2020 prospects from the state of Michigan, and four are in The Wolverine's early top five in the state. 1. JUSTIN ROGERS 6-3, 314 • OL • Oak Park High Rogers is definitely one of the most cov- eted prospects in the Midwest. He seems to post a new offer on Twitter every day and was up to 23 entering June. He was once listed as a tackle, but is definitely built more like a guard. Still, he takes reps at tackle all the time and more than holds his own against all comers. He's considered a four-star talent and is included in the early Rivals100 for the 2020 class. He already holds offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michi- gan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee, among others. 2. RASHAWN WILLIAMS 6-0, 178 • WR • Detroit Martin Luther King At 6-0, 178 pounds, Williams has good size for a receiver, can really jump out of the gym and possesses great body control allowing him to play even bigger. He's a four-star prospect and an early member of the Rivals100. He has a very respectable offer list that in- cludes Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio State. He's been on campus in Ann Arbor several times and seems to have legitimate interest in the Wolverines as a friend and former teammate of both Ambry Thomas and Lavert Hill. 3. ENZO JENNINGS 6-2, 178 • CB • Oak Park High At 6-2, 178 pounds, Jennings has elite size and length for a cornerback. He's con- sidered a four-star prospect and could end up being the top cover corner in the entire Midwest when numerical rankings are re- leased for his class. He grew up a Michigan fan, and it was a big deal when the Wolverines offered him. However, big-time programs such as Ala- bama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee have also offered the talented cornerback. Jennings will likely be around Ann Arbor often, but with so many prestigious options it'll be tough for Harbaugh and Co. to keep him close to home. 4. MAKARI PAIGE 6-3, 185 • S • West Bloomfield High Paige is an ultra-athletic prospect who was once labeled as an athlete because of his prowess on both sides of the ball. Now, he's considered a four-star safety at 6-3, 185 pounds. It's clear that he has a higher upside on defense, and that's where just about all of the 20 schools who have offered like him . As of June 1, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and several others had of- fered the talented safety prospect. 5. PENY BOONE 6-0, 208 • RB • Detroit Martin Luther King Boone has a unique build for a running back at 6-0, 208 pounds, and he's ridicu- lously explosive and quick for a young back his size. He transferred to Martin Luther King after last season and is poised to abso- lutely explode, both on the field and on the recruiting trail this fall. Only Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Purdue and Syracuse have offered the versatile four-star entering June. That number, though, could go up in a huge way after more teams get a chance to see what he can do for powerhouse MLK. — Brandon Brown On Deck: Five To Watch For 2020